Sri Lanka is rocked by crisis as thousands of protestors stormed the president’s house in the capital of Colombo today over public anger at the government’s handling of an economic crisis.
The planned rally, one of the largest anti-government marches in the crisis-hit country this year, turned violent as thousands of furious demonstrators surged past police barricades and into the presidential compound and nearby office of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Some protesters, holding Sri Lankan flags and helmets, broke into the president’s residence, video footage from local TV news NewsFirst channel showed, even going so far as to take a dip in the presidential swimming pool.
Two defence ministry sources said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was removed from the official premises on Friday for his safety ahead of the planned rally over the weekend, with government spokesman Mohan Samaranayake unsure of Rajapaksa’s whereabouts.
The island of 22 million people is struggling…
